1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dryers, and more particularly, to a drum for use in a dryer, which is composed of a plurality of segments joined axially to form the drum's cylindrical shape.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a dryer uses hot air to dry laundry that has been washed. The dryer basically includes a drum for processing the laundry, a heating unit for supplying the drum with heated air, and an air discharging unit for expelling the hot air from the drum.
FIG. 1 illustrates a drum for use in a general dryer. The drum 10, provided with a drying chamber 5 to accommodate laundry, is installed within an outer case (not shown) of the dryer, to be slowly rotated by a belt (not shown) wound in a belt groove 2 formed in the drum's outer surface. At least one lifter 12, installed lengthwise on the inner surface of the drum 10, is provided to raise the laundry in the drying chamber 5 to a predetermined height as the drum rotates, at which point the laundry falls in a tumbling action, to thereby evenly expose the laundry to hot air and assist in drying.
To fabricate the above drum, a thin plate of metal such as stainless steel is rolled into a cylindrical shape, or drum, and is welded at the edges to create a seam. To reinforce the strength of the drum, a die is used to press the welded drum and thus expand predetermined portions of the drum's periphery. The lifters, which are typically made of plastic and are separately fabricated, are then coupled to the drum's inner surface.
Fabricating such a drum, however, requires very large machinery, e.g., a press, which necessitates an expensive facility and high capital equipment investment. A complicated process inherently lowers productivity and increases failure rates. Also, since the drum is made of steel, unpleasant levels of noise are generated by the tumbling laundry, which tends to have metallic accessories and hard buttons that collide with the inner surface of the rotating drum.